Empty Rooms
by flowersinoureyes
Summary: Blaine Anderson has a terrible home life. When something worse happens to him, Blaine doesn't know what to do. He finds a home in daily visits to a grassy park and a boy with irresistible blue eyes. Also, Blangst.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

Blaine returned to his room after a long day full of exams, Warbler practice and despair. He places his iPod down on the night stand next to his bed, takes a seat and sighs. He hasn't genuinely smiled in what feels like months. Ever since this _thing,_ this _curse_ made itself apparent. He moves to lie down as he allows his thoughts to wander.

Blaine was never taught to love. He was never shown compassion. Being raised by maids and butlers didn't exactly allow for a nurturing environment to develop. He saw his parents maybe twice a month. He'd say that seeing them three times was lucky, but that would be the opposite of luck. As CEO of a trading company, his father was nearly always at different conferences all around the country and world. His mother, on the other hand, was a doctor for Doctors Without Borders so being out of the country came in her contract. Somehow they both managed to always come home at least once a month on the same weekend. Always a party for Blaine.

Anyway, his _curse_ so to speak, wouldn't be a curse if it wasn't for his mother and father's view on the subject. One would think that being a doctor would lead to unconditional understanding to altering points of view. Unfortunately for Blaine, this was not the case with his mother. His father grew up with three other brothers and a father previously in the military. Nothing says homophobia like refusing to watch _How I Met Your Mother_ simply because one of the actors is gay. The ignorance of his parents didn't exactly make coming out easy for Blaine. Then again, he wouldn't know yet- he hasn't done it. He figures why tell them when they're hardly ever home. It's not like he hasn't thought about it, though. He wants to so badly. He's sick of lying to everyone. No one in his life knows. He hasn't mustered up enough courage to tell anyone.

After a few minutes of lying down on his bed, Blaine decides he could use some fresh air. He picks up his iPod again, grabs the nearest book, choses any old sweatshirt hanging from his coatrack and heads down the stairs. Blaine is used to be alone in such a large house; the lack of people is how he likes it. No one to judge him or suggest he date the next Jane Doe down the street. He swings through the kitchen and greets the maid they've had for 15 years, nearly all of Blaine's 17 years of life, and he's out the door. The walk to the park isn't a long one but he puts his headphones on anyway and tries to lose himself.

_Cold is the water__  
><em>_It freezes your already cold mind__  
><em>_Already cold, cold mind__  
><em>_And death is at your doorstep__  
><em>_And it will steal your innocence__  
><em>_But it will not steal your substance_

_But you are not alone in this  
><em>_And you are not alone in this  
><em>_As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand  
><em>_Hold your hand_

He walks fairly slowly, he doesn't have any reason to hurry up. It's not like there's anyone waiting for him at his house. As he approaches the big grassy plain, he allows a shiver to run through his body. He lets the soft guitar and sweet harmony into his mind. The song becomes like a drug and he notices that he's walking in time to the music, which isn't very fast. Music has always had this effect on him. Not only does he love to create his own music but he loves appreciating others creations as well. He can always find safety in music, a type of safety he can't seem to find in anyone else. Nobody else really understands him fully, so he feels closest to the melodies found on the gadget in his hand.

Finally he reaches the slight dip in the grass which proves to be the perfect size for Blaine and maybe another person, but he's always here alone so he allows himself to spread out. He flips open the book, not any particular book, he just wanted something to distract himself a bit.

Blaine finds himself 45 pages into the book when he takes a look at his watch. It's 5:30 and since its mid-October the sun will be setting shortly. He gathers his iPod, book and sweatshirt and starts his way back to his house. Yet again, he puts his headphones in and tries to lose himself in the songs. This time a very different type of song comes on. A faster beat.

_Come the war__  
><em>_Come the avarice__  
><em>_Come the war__  
><em>_Come hell_

The faster pace of the song makes him walk a bit faster, with more bounce in his step. It's a lot colder on the way back than it was on the way to the park so he has to put his sweatshirt on. _  
><em>_  
>Come attrition<em>_  
><em>_Come the reek of bones__  
><em>_Come attrition__  
><em>_Come hell_

_This is why__  
><em>_Why we fight__  
><em>_Why we lie awake__  
><em>_And this is why__  
><em>_This is why we fight_

Blaine loves music like this. The type of music he can relate to. He wants to be able to share all this music with someone. Unfortunately the Warblers are all consumed with the latest Katy Perry tune and insist on Blaine singing them all.

_When we die__  
><em>_We will die__  
><em>_With our arms unbound_

_And this is why__  
><em>_This is why__  
><em>_Why we fight__  
><em>_Come hell_

_Bride of quiet__  
><em>_Bride of all unquiet things__  
><em>_Bride of quiet__  
><em>_Bride of hell_

Bride. Ha. Blaine laughs at the verse, slightly shaking his head. The amount of times his mother has spoken to him about the future including the words "bride," "money," and "nice girl" Blaine has lost track of counting.

_So come to me__  
><em>_Come to me now__  
><em>_Lay your arms around me__  
><em>_And this is why__  
><em>_This is why__  
><em>_We fight__  
><em>_Come hell__  
><em>_Come hell__  
><em>_Come hell__  
><em>_Come hell_

Suddenly the irony of the song makes itself prevalent just as it ends. The first thing Blaine sees once he reaches the top of his driveway is his parent's car.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Thanks so much for reading! I hope you guys enjoyed it! The first song is _Timshel_ by Mumford & Sons. The last song is _This is Why We Fight_ by The Decemberists. I'd love a review if you get a chance!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

That was the last thing Blaine expected when he returned home. He figured he'd go to his room, do homework for two hours then eat dinner and watch TV. Now that plan was ruined. He walked in his house through the front door and saw his mother in the foyer talking to one of their maids. Dressed in a navy pencil skirt, a white and navy print blazer, and heels, she was about the same height as Blaine.

"Yes, but Gloria, these are not the flowers that I told you to get. I wanted lilacs, these are purple mums." She sighed in disbelief that someone of her staff made such a crucial mistake.

"Mrs. Anderson, lilacs bloom around springtime, I tried to acquire them for you but they were nowhere to be found. These look just as good!" Gloria was used to her behavior but there was still a slight drop of resentment in her voice.

"Fine Gloria, but just know that I'm not happy." She turned around to look at the rest of the foyer until she spotted Blaine standing there observing the exchange. "Hello son, how are you?" No physical demonstration of love, no "so happy to see you!" no "I missed you!" but then again, what was Blaine expecting?

"Hi mom, I'm well, thank you. What are you and dad doing home?" He asked, attempting to mirror his mothers disinterest and failing when his natural disposition to act eager and excited took over. "You usually call before you return from your trips."

Not even bothering to keep eye contact as she spoke, she picked up her bags, handed them to Gloria and responded, "Oh your father and I were feeling a bit tired from all the travelling so we decided to make our way home for the weekend. I'll be leaving Sunday night but I believe your father has a nice break between conferences so he'll be home for the week." Blaine grinded his teeth as his mother finished speaking. Great, now he'd have to deal with his father being home.

He moved to the office where he knew his father would be. There he was, dressed in a full suit, slate grey with black newly shined dress shoes, gelled down hair and a receding hairline. He was much taller than Blaine who had gotten his height from his mother. Blaine knocked on the glass door until his father recognized his presence.

"Come in son." He barely even bothered to lift his head to look at Blaine. He simply continued to tap away into his Blackberry then proceeded to become invested in his computer. A bear riding a tricycle could have walked in juggling milk cartons and his father wouldn't have known the difference.

"How are you, dad?" Blaine tried for normal conversation. "Mom told me you'll be home for the week."

If he'll be home for the week they might as well be civil. As Blaine took in his surroundings he noticed several things. One, his father had a name plate on his own desk _at home_; it read Richard Anderson, CEO. Additionally, he had some new technology with him-the newest iPad, a kindle, and a macbook air. With a mother working as a doctor and his father a CEO of a large corporation, they were extremely wealthy. But Blaine had never liked to show off how wealthy they were and it made him uncomfortable to talk about.

"Son, I'm busy, we can talk over dinner." He took a quick glance up at Blaine whose eyes became hard. "Also, tell your mother to arrange for you to get a haircut, those curls are getting ridiculous." Blaine turned around instantly; he wasn't in the mood for this. He hadn't seen his father since September 8th, his first day of junior year, and this is how he acts.

He runs a hand through his hair and jogs up the stairs back to his room. Although Blaine is an only child, their house has five bedrooms on the second floor and five more on the third. He'll never understand why that was necessary but he supposed that was just his father wanting to boast their money.

In his room, Blaine takes a seat on the red leather chair on the right side of his bed. There's no desk in his room, so that's where he usually does most of his studying. There's a small coffee table right next to it with an hourglass on top. Behind the hourglass is a lamp, so Blaine flicks it on and pulls over his backpack. AP Lit, AP US History, AP Chem and AP Calc homework, why the hell did he decide on so many college level classes? He figures he doesn't have much time to waste so he gets started.

He works hard for a good hour and a half, decides that it's okay to take a bit of a break. He plops down to his salmon and taupe bedspread, takes out his iPod from his sweatshirt pocket which he discarded of a while ago, places the headphones in his ears and puts it on shuffle.

_I'm not alone, I wish I was.__  
><em>_Cause then I'd know, I was down because__  
><em>_I couldn't find, a friend around__  
><em>_To love me like, they do right now.__  
><em>_They do right now._

_I'm dizzy from the shopping malls__  
><em>_I searched for joy, but I bought it all__  
><em>_It doesn't help the hunger pains__  
><em>_and a thirst I'd have to drown first to ever satiate_

_Something's missing__  
><em>_And I don't know how to fix it__  
><em>_something's missing__  
><em>_And I don't know what it is__  
><em>_At all__  
><em>_  
><em>In true Blaine fashion, he goes back to analyzing the song along with how it relates to his life; it scares Blaine how much this song speaks to him. He feels like this; he feels like something is missing. He thinks he knows exactly what it is at the same moment the song tells him so.  
><em><br>__When autumn comes, it doesn't ask.__  
><em>_It just walks in, where it left you last.__  
><em>_And you never know, when it starts__  
><em>_Until there's fog inside the glass around your summer heart:_

_Something's missing__  
><em>_And I don't know how to fix it__  
><em>_something's missing__  
><em>_And I don't know what it is__  
><em>_At all_

_I can't be sure that this state of mind, is not of my own design__  
><em>_I wish there was an over the counter test, for loneliness.__  
><em>_For loneliness like this.__  
><em>_  
><em>He's so lonely. He's realizing that now. And he's also realizing that there's no way to not be lonely until he comes out. He is approached with this heavy need to tell the truth. To tell everybody that yeah, he likes boys, so what the fuck of it?  
><em><br>__Something's missing__  
><em>_And I don't know how to fix it__  
><em>_Something's missing__  
><em>_And I don't know what it is__  
><em>_No I don't know what it is__  
><em>_Something's different__  
><em>_And I don't know what it is__  
><em>_No I don't know what it is_

By the end of the song he's barely listening anymore. There's a weight on his heart and a simultaneous heavy pounding. He has to do it. The best place to start is with his parents, he figures. He knows in the back of his mind that this isn't going to go well, but he's come to the decision that he needs to do it. He wants to own up to himself and be the truthful, painfully honest person that he is. He can't 100% be that person if he's hiding under this fog. With his chest heaving up and down rapidly he makes a break for the stairs, walking briskly. He walks past the office, seeing his father inside. No way is he coming out to one parent at a time so he walks to the kitchen and asks his mother if she'd get his father.

"You don't want to disturb your father while he's working, Blaine. Please go back upstairs and I'll make sure Eric" their cook, "calls you through the intercom system when dinner is ready." She went back to looking at a catalogue of furniture and didn't seem to realize Blaine was still standing there until he cleared his throat.

"Blaine I told you to go back upstairs, I don't see what you don't understand."

"Mom this is really important, I hardly ever interrupt you or dad, but I really need to talk to you and it needs to be now." He's shaking by this point and his stomach is starting to feel uneasy. This always happens when Blaine gets nervous, he starts shaking uncontrollably and he feels like he's going to either throw up, pass out, or both. Finally he looks up to see his mother staring at him quizzically but she gets up and walks to the office.

Blaine could hear their muffled voices, and about 3 minutes later they both enter looking equally annoyed and bored. Now there might as well be a nuclear war going on in his stomach with how bad it hurts, but he has to ignore it because he needs to say what is in his head.

They're in the dining room - the room between the kitchen and the area of the foyer and office. Blaine doesn't trust his feet anymore to support him so he takes a seat and thankfully his parents follow his lead. He takes in a shaky breath and begins.

"So I've been thinking about myself a lot lately. About who I am and who I want to be and I came to a worrying conclusion. I've been lying a lot. I've been lying to my friends, I've been lying to myself, but most importantly, I've been lying to you." He figured if he tried to appease his parents as much as possible they'd be slightly more understanding. His approach might be somewhat circuitous but he had to think very hard about how to get this out the right way.

"You guys have worked so hard in your life to get where you are. You set goals for yourself and you became so successful." At this his parents chanced a stolen glance at each other, clearly confused at what Blaine was trying to say. He continued, his voice shaking slightly. "I aspire to be as self-assured as you two are, it's inspiring to me." He began to inadvertently squeeze his thumbs between his hands, becoming slick with cold sweat. "I know all you want is the best for me, and you want to me to have everything I want in life. You want me to get married, you want me to get a good job, and you want me to be happy. Well the only way I can do that is if I do it my way." This time he looked directly at his mother.

"I want to get married eventually, but I don't want a bride. I don't really ever want a girlfriend, as a matter of fact. The reason for that is…" he took a sharp deep breath, forcing himself to continue. "I'm gay. I like guys. It's been like this for a while and I'm just sick of hiding it every day. I'm sick of having to divert your conversations away from girls. I'm sick of making up excuses for why I don't have a girlfriend, or a date to the prom." He was rambling now and looking everywhere but his parents. "Getting this off my chest is the first step in getting somewhere real in my life. Owning up to myself starts with you guys. I just hope that you can respect that."

He finally steeled a look at his parents through his eye lashes. His mother had gone pale as a ghost and his father's face was very hard. He's not that great at reading facial expressions but from what he could tell they weren't exactly ready to walk on top of rainbows with him. His mother was the first to speak.

"I don't understand, we raised you right. We provided you with food, shelter, and a direct road to success. I just don't understand how this could have happened." Her voice was about an octave higher than normal. His father's voice, on the other hand**,** was low and sharp as a razor blade.

"Blaine I want you to go upstairs and think about the bullshit you just said to us, then come back downstairs and apologize. I won't tolerate this kind of irresponsible talking. Not when I know we raised you better than this. Homosexuality isn't okay, Blaine. Throughout your years as a child I thought we drilled that into your head well enough. We pointed out to you all the pretty girls that you should go after. We never even allowed you to get close to any boys because of the fact that we thought you might start swinging that way. Guess what, Blaine, we aren't wrong here. We aren't going to deal with your 'confusion', you're our only son and you'll do as we say. This is a choice, remember that. You decided this. This is your fault."

As unsurprised as Blaine was by this reaction, he couldn't help the hurt he felt because of his parents vitriolic words. It felt like a punch directly to his heart. It sped up to an even faster pace; he could feel his face getting red. He stayed his ground, however. He committed to telling them and he wasn't going to say that he was being foolish and that this whole thing is a joke. He put his hands on the table and looked back up at them.

"It's funny how you keep describing how you raised me. I wasn't raised by you. I was raised by empty rooms and broken promises. I was raised by maids and butlers and chauffeurs to school. I was raised with siblings named heartbreak, betrayal and innocence. You wouldn't know about that, though, you were never around to see it. Then you come home for _one_ weekend and try to tell me I'm wrong? No, I've had enough of this to know that all you care about is money and your jobs. Don't even try to act like you don't." Their eyes told it all, they knew he was right, but just as he said; they were too cowardly to admit it.

He was shaking again, this time out of anger. "I'm your only son. I know you think that means that you need to make sure that I'm perfect, but to me, it means that you should love me nomatter what**.** I'm all you're getting so you should probably appreciate it. I'm sick of feeling like an unwanted puppy. I've avoided close friendships; I've avoided love because I was so afraid of what you would think. I came here to tell you about myself so that I could start to experience these kinds of things. Like any other normal teenage boy could. I'm not going to sit here and beg for your approval. So if you'll excuse me, I'll be going out for a walk"

Before his parents could open their mouths inprotest he was running upstairs to get a jacket, his iPod, phone and flashlight. He sprinted down the stairs, past his parents who were still sitting in the dining room, through the kitchen to grab a roll of bread and out through the kitchen door. It was dark outside but Blaine didn't care. He knew it would be dark considering it was 7:15; he just turned on the flashlight, put in his headphones and headed to the park again. He knew no one would be there that late; there was never any question about that. After using the park as an escape from being at home so many times throughout his life, he knew no one would be there.

Rage was bubbling in his chest as he thought about what had just occurred. He needed music. He needed music now.

_Weep for yourself, my man,__  
><em>_You'll never be what is in your heart__  
><em>_Weep Little Lion Man,__  
><em>_You're not as brave as you were at the start__  
><em>_Rate yourself and rake yourself,__  
><em>_Take all the courage you have left__  
><em>_Wasted on fixing all the problems__  
><em>_That you made in your own head_

_But it was not your fault but mine__  
><em>_And it was your heart on the line__  
><em>_I really fucked it up this time__  
><em>_Didn't I, my dear?__  
><em>_Didn't I, my..._

_Tremble for yourself, my man,__  
><em>_You know that you have seen this all before__  
><em>_Tremble Little Lion Man,__  
><em>_You'll never settle any of your scores__  
><em>_Your grace is wasted in your face,__  
><em>_Your boldness stands alone among the wreck__  
><em>_Now learn from your mother or else spend your days Biting your own neck_

_But it was not your fault but mine__  
><em>_And it was your heart on the line__  
><em>_I really fucked it up this time__  
><em>_Didn't I, my dear?_

His father's voice continued to echo through his head "this is your fault" "this is a choice". He was so blinded by anger that he didn't notice he had passed a car as he stepped on the cold grass. It wasn't until he was standing in front of his favorite dip in the grass that he realized there was someone else there. In his dip, with a flashlight. The boy lying down opposite him looked up to Blaine.

Blue eyes locked with emerald and Blaine felt a shiver run through his spine; Blaine knew it wasn't from the cold.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Thanks so much again for reading! Reviews are always welcome! So yeah, there's Kurt! The first song is _Something's Missing_ by John Mayer and the second song is _Little Lion Man_ by Mumford & Sons. I'd also like to thank **bibliophile534** for being my awesome beta reader :D


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Blaine was shocked.  
>He was so taken aback, in fact, that all he seemed to be able to do was stand there staring at the young man in his spot, mouth gaping.<br>He was shocked for two reasons. Firstly, Blaine was so reluctant to believe there could actually be anyone at his special park so late at night that all coherent thought left him. What could someone who wasn't himself possibly be doing there, and so late too?  
>Secondly, those <em>eyes<em>. Illuminated by the flashlight, the boy opposite him had eyes that were deep bright blue with flecks of green and gold. He felt like he could drown in those eyes. Blaine's initial reaction was flight – _turn around, excuse yourself and get out of here. Run, run, run_ – He just couldn't be around people right now. What would he even say_? "Hi I'm Blaine, I just came out to my parents and I'm ready to shoot the next kitten that crawls up beside me."_ No, that didn't sound very polite.  
>He was uneasy because this was the first person who he would interact with since confessing that he was gay. Unfortunately, his mouth had a mind of its own and spoke before he could really think about it-<p>

"Hi. Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt you." Unable to tear his own amber eyes away from the other boys, he continued, "I don't usually see people here. I, um... I'll just be on my way." Blaine awkwardly stuttered his way through trying to will his body to turn around, captivated by the other boy's eyes.  
>It wasn't until he was about to turn away, finally giving into his flight response when he noticed that there were tears streaking down the boy's face<em>. <em>Something in Blaine's heart dropped a bit at the sight. Upset as he was, he couldn't walk away from this guy.

"I know I don't know you at all or anything, but, um, I'm Blaine." He stuck out his hand for the boy to shake but the boy just sat up, watching his outstretched hand,  
>"Kurt."<em><br>_ Blaine was still feeling awkward just standing, "do you mind if I sit?" The other boy, Kurt, he reminded himself, shook his head and Blaine sat, with his butt propped up on the ledge and his feet in the lower portion of the grass. He put his iPod on the grass to his right, closest to Kurt and began pulling at the grass in front of him with cold fingers before deciding what to say next.

"Sorry to be intrusive, but are you okay? Usually this park is where I take refuge from the shitty things that happen in my life." He paused, unsure of why he was so concerned.

Kurt exhaled. Taking a deep breath he began, "you aren't being intrusive, you're being kind. Although I shouldn't get used to it I suppose." A self-depreciating smirk curled its way onto Kurt's lips, "not many people stick around once they get to know me, so you probably shouldn't get too comfortable." Seeing the confusion spreading across Blaine's face, the bitter smirk fell from his lips as he continued, "I'm just having a hard time at school and wanted to be somewhere quiet. It's nice here." He inhaled softly and sniffled a bit.

"Well I'm no Dr. Phil, but maybe I could help you out?" Blaine tried to fill his voice with as much encouragement as possible without sounding too overeager. Blaine saw a look of calculation take over Kurt's face, as if considering him.

"Have you ever met anyone gay before?"

Well that was unexpected. The surprise on Blaine's face must have been obvious from the look Kurt had given him, so he rushed to respond,

"Um, no. No, I haven't..." Blaine looked down at his hands, reminded of his recent conversation with his parents. From the corner of his eyes he saw Kurt look down as well. He continued "other than myself I guess." Kurt looked up at this admission, eyebrows drawn.

"You're-" But Blaine cut him off before he could finish.

"Yes, and if you have anything to say about it I really don't want to hear it. I've heard enough of it from my parents." Resentment flashed through Blaine's features, startling Kurt slightly** "**It's a choice; it's gross. I get it. I think I'll just be getting on my way. Sorry to disturb you." This wound was too fresh, why the hell did he just tell some complete stranger his biggest insecurity. He knew staying was a dumb idea. He began to stand up but when he reached out to take his iPod from where it sat between him and Kurt, he felt Kurt's hand, soft from the cold, stop his.

"I've been told the same things." He rushed, not wanting to be misunderstood, "I'm gay too, and trust me, it hasn't been a fairytale." Ice blue eyes, still shimmering from the spilt tears, locked on intense amber. A warm rush of relief ran through Blaine starting at the hand that was still being held by Kurt. Blaine's eyes flicked over to their clasped hands and Kurt immediately pulled away.

"Oh, shit. Sorry." Blaine bit his lip wondering if he should explain. Sighing, he figured they'd already shared this much,"I just came out to my parents, like, 10 minutes ago. So I guess I'm a bit… oversensitive." He enunciated the last word.

"I take it didn't go well." Kurt said kindly while scrubbing at his face to rid of the tear tracks. There they were- those piercing blue eyes again. Blaine could just make out the color through the flashlight that was pointing upward between the two from the bottom of the dip**. **From what he could tell they were darker around the outside, just about the color of the sea. The closer to the pupil, the more colors there were. Illuminated by the light he could make out crimson, silver, copper and sea green. One was just slightly more open than the other, something that happens to Blaine when he's really tired.

As Blaine mulled over the past few minutes in his head, he kept his eyes locked on the boy's across from him. He felt like he could talk to him about anything and he would understand. So he did. He told him.

He told him about his parents and the disappointment etched into their features. The way they sat there unmoving as though if they didn't acknowledge it- acknowledge _him-_ and who he was (not who he '_chose'_ to be, because no, no matter how much they insisted, he wouldn't _choose _to be someone they didn't outright approve of). He told Kurt about how all this had made him angry and that's why he was out here in the cold instead of in the safety and warmth of his home. Once he started he couldn't stop. He told how his parents were hardly ever home and how he's always felt this empty bit in his chest. He told him how he always searched for love- whether it be friendship or more- and was always rejected by his parent's restrictions. This went on for quite a while.

Apart from the occasional gasp of "oh god" and the nodding of his head in all the right places, Kurt remained completely motionless and silent, listening intently. His features reacted on queue during Blaine's story and Blaine found himself subconsciously wishing he could see Kurt's face fully.

The soft light emitted from the flashlight danced along Kurt's eyes. He couldn't help it. He was captivated by Kurt's eyes. Finally Blaine's story came to a close and for some odd reason he felt much calmer. Perhaps it was Kurt's comforting presence or the fact that Blaine was never one to hold a grudge, maybe it was just that in Kurt he'd found someone he could talk to**, **but he no longer wanted to swallow a pitcher of gasoline and walk into a furnace.

"I'm so sorry Blaine. That couldn't have been easy. I understand fully how much it sucks to come out." Kurt spoke matter-of-factly. He nodded to Blaine who could have sworn his eyes were changing from deep blue to sky blue to blue with green and gold. He had lost track when Kurt began to speak.

"Was it like this for you?" Blaine wasn't sure if this was too personal to ask since he had only just met him not long ago, but he figured if he was pouring everything about himself out into this small patch of grass between them, Kurt could do the same.

Kurt smiled at this, as though thinking back on a fond memory, which just confused Blaine more but reassured him that asking wasn't a problem. He told Blaine everything. He spoke of some cheerleader named Brittany, root beer chap stick and John Mellencamp.

Blaine tried to listen and react as intently as Kurt did for him, but he kept finding himself distracted by wanting to explore Kurt's appearance. His hair was gently coiffed and from what Blaine could tell it was a light, chestnut brown. His eyelashes curled around his perfect eyes framing them and casting shadows along his eyelids. Blaine worked his eyes upward to his eyebrows from which Blaine could tell were expertly crafted. Blaine thought about his own eyebrows, greatly resembling an isosceles triangle. Feeling a bit self-conscious, he allowed his eyes to drift down to his lap. Kurt continued with his story admitting to having a crush on the quarterback of the football team as Blaine's thoughts allowed his other senses to explore.

Kurt's voice was as soothing as the sound of waves crashing or the smell of freshly cut grass. Blaine decided with a small smile to himself that it was his favorite thing about Kurt thus far. He felt serene sitting here with Kurt. There was a kind of calmness that he never felt at his own home. Blaine zoned back into his story at the very end. Although listening the whole time, Blaine particularly focused in on this last part and felt a pang of jealousy.

"My dad has been nothing but great to me. He's everything to me; he helps me get through." He scrunched his lips together and sniffled once more.

"Wow, he sounds like a fantastic man Kurt, you're lucky." Blaine nodded while locking eyes with Kurt. "I assume your mother feels the same way?"

Kurt sharply inhaled. "Um, I like to think she would" he nodded, eyes downcast to look at his hands, which had just pulled out a clump of grass, "but she died when I was eight."

"Well I feel like an ass. I'm so, so sorry Kurt." Blaine didn't know what to say after that. All he knew was that he wanted Kurt to never stop speaking. His wishes were granted when the soft melody filled the air again.

"It's been a while, and my dad remarried so I'm okay. I still sneak into his room to smell her old drawers sometimes though." He smiled fondly "They smell like her perfume, so when I miss her, it feels like she's there with me." Suddenly, everything seemed intimate.

"What brings you here tonight of all nights? If I'm overstepping just let me know, but I'm pretty sure I overstepped that elusive line a while ago." Blaine smiled and looked back up at the boy opposite him.

"It's just usually I'm okay with people in my school being jerks but" he paused, looking down and sighing. Taking a deep breath and looking back up he continued, "there's this one guy who has made it his mission to make my life a living hell. And no one seems to notice." His voice cracked slightly, biting back tears, his eyes shimmering again and going back to a deep blue.

"I'm in my school's glee club. I love it, don't get me wrong, but it's basically in the contract to get a slushy to the face once a week." At this point, the tears were threatening to fall, his voice cracking every few words. He took a few deep breaths to try and compose himself, "However, the rude names and getting pushed into lockers isn't.

"His name is Dave Karofsky. He's been giving me nothing but crap and I'm so sick of it but I just don't know what to do. None of the teachers listen, and my friends can't really do anything considering Karofsky is the size of a refrigerator." He pulls out a piece of grass and examines it, anger and confusion lacing his features.

"I don't know this guy and I don't really know you that well, but to me, it sounds like you're stronger than him, Kurt. Emotionally, at least." Blaine spoke, concern clear in his voice. "Talk to him, confront him, call him out- anything." Blaine lowers his head, attempting to catch Kurt's gaze and succeeding after a moment. "If he's using the physical approach then use the verbal. I'm really sorry that's happening to you Kurt, it sounds awful." He means it; he was never physically abused before.

"Thanks." He clears his throat, scrubbing at his eyes again with the back of his palms. "I feel bad I can't help you with your parents. I'm really sorry too, Blaine." A small smile curved at his lips. "Look at us, we are so messed up!" He started outright laughing and suddenly Blaine is laughing with him, doubling over and ending up on their backs in the cool grass.

Their conversation continued fluidly and time seemed to stand still. Both boys offered the other of random titbits of their respective lives; slowly breaking down each of their walls and becoming very well acquainted, letting the other in. They both became very animated in their stories- hands flying everywhere, eyebrows shooting up and creating voices assigned to each character in the story.

A pause left them to their thoughts for a long moment, leaving them in a comfortable silence. Blaine was the one to break it.

"I'm glad I met you today, Kurt." Blaine looked right into his eyes once more.

"Me too." Their eyes lingered on one another for a moment. "But I should probably head out, it's a 10 minute car ride but my dad won't like me being home so late. He thinks I'm at a friend's house. Do you want a ride back, do you live close?"

Blaine's surprise at the offer left him stuttering, "I um, well, y-yeah, I'm just- right. Sorry." He took a moment to compose himself. "I live around the corner, but a ride sounds great. It's pretty cold."

They both stood and Kurt gathered his things. A vogue magazine, a blanket and his jacket were picked up off the floor and held in his arms. It was a quick walk. Blaine was so lost in his anger earlier that he didn't even notice what kind of car it was.

He opened the passenger door to Kurt's sedan and buckled his seat belt. As Kurt turned the ignition, the radio, which turned on immediately once the car started, began to play. Blaine recognized the song immediately but was surprised to hear it playing on the radio at all. Really, the radio is too often filled with the latest pop song about getting drunk and getting laid.

_Were you named for the river that surrounds_  
><em>All my biggest my mistakes or the way that I made it out<em>  
><em>All the muscles in my mouth never smiled or said profound things<em>  
><em>Until the day she handed you to me<em>

Blaine settled himself and Kurt pulled away from the park, neither boy speaking, seated in a companionable silence. They allowed the piano first to surround them. The trumpet began to play and a steady beat continued.

_Now for all the steps you'll take and all you'll overcome_  
><em>I wanna be the one to put in a song<em>  
><em>Take every single tear for all the world to hear<em>  
><em>I wanna be the one to put it in a song<em>

Blaine smiled because he was just realizing now how much he loved this song. He started tapping his fingers on his knee. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kurt smiling and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as well.

_Cigarettes are raining hard on the Upper East Side_  
><em>She brings me a cake we celebrate I have arrived<em>  
><em>And I know that it's been sang before but you're my human holiday<em>

He loved that line. _Human holiday_. He hoped that one day he would find a person that can be that for him- a person that he can just take a vacation from life to; someone who allows him to either forget all of his troubles for a little while, or someone who is willing to stick with him through his troubles. In thinking this, he also decides that he wants to be this figure for someone else- allow them to confide in him and trust him. He takes another look out of the corner of his eye to Kurt. He feels a bit of a flutter in his chest.

_I put my hands to the table and dare say the love of my life_  
><em>And your brother with his best friend<em>  
><em>Shares a name I'm gonna need<em>  
><em>Really couldn't bring me down<em>

_For everything you lost and all you overcome_  
><em>I wanna be the one to put it in a song<em>  
><em>Take every single tear for all the world to hear<em>  
><em>I wanna be the one to put it in a song and make it last forever<em>

By now an accordion was playing and they were about to drive up Blaine's driveway all too soon. He had a long driveway, however so figured the whole song would be able to play by the time they reached the top.

_Clever comes in truth when truth begets the past_  
><em>Its sends its call out to the moon<em>  
><em>And the moon can see the beauty that surrounds your heart as it pounds<em>  
><em>It starts the beat inspiring me until I make the sound<em>

_I wanna be the one, I wanna be one, I wanna be the one_  
><em>For everything you lost and all you overcome<em>  
><em>I wanna be the one to put it in a song<em>  
><em>Take every single tear for all the world to hear<em>  
><em>I wanna be the one to put it in a song<em>  
><em>Ba b aba b aba ba dada da da b aba ba dum bum<em>

He was right. The soft onomatopoetic rhythms brought the song to a close just as the car stopped outside Blaine's front door. Blaine looked at the dashboard to see what time it was only to see that the radio wasn't playing at all. It was Kurt's iPod hooked up to the speakers in his car.

Instead of getting out of the car Blaine turned to Kurt.

"You know this band? I thought I was the only one!" Blaine said dumbly.

"Just because I'm gay and in a glee club doesn't mean I only listen to Broadway tunes!" He said this with confidence but blushed as the next song started with '_something has changed within me'_, and quickly skipped to the next song.

"No I've just never met someone else who listens to this kind of music." Blaine smiled at Kurt's smile and, yeah, okay. Now that he had a better view he decided that Kurt was most definitely gorgeous. His hairline was brought to a deep curve at the top of his forehead. His lips were the color of cherries and Blaine had to stop himself from wondering if they'd taste the same. Sighing, Blaine thanked Kurt for the ride and got out. Before he closed the door he heard Kurt shout-

"Wait!" Blaine turned back into the window to look at Kurt, smiling and, indeed, waiting for him to continue.

"Do you want to maybe meet again at the park tomorrow?" Kurt asked, wide eyed and hopeful. "I don't feel like spending all Saturday inside my house."

Blaine answered without hesitation, "That sounds great! See you tomorrow, Kurt."

Blaine walked into his house with a smile on his face for the first time in months. Until he remembered what had happened in this house merely an hour before. He wasn't sure why, but he expected his parents to still be at the dining room table waiting for Blaine to get back and scold him about why it's not okay to just leave the house. But alas, no such luck.

They were nowhere to be found. He went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator as his stomach grumbled. He reheated some old chicken and sat to eat it. As he ate, memories of his night at the park weaved through his thoughts**. **He jogged back upstairs without interruption from his parents, changed into pajamas, brushed his teeth and climbed into bed.

Making himself comfortable, he decided that he didn't need to listen to his iPod tonight. For the first time in what felt like years, he didn't need to escape to music in order to escape his daily hardships. He fell asleep to the memory of a glorious evening with Kurt and those damned, beautiful blue eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Again, thanks so much for reading! Reviews are welcome :). I'd like to thank bibliophile534 again for being an incredible beta! The song used is _I Wanna Be The __One_ by Fun. Although you don't need to listen to these songs in order to enjoy the story, I would suggest checking out a few seconds of them just so you can get a feel for what the characters are experiencing.


End file.
